Where does “fan” come from?
fan (Old Dutch) comes from Old Saxon fāhan, from Proto-Germanic fanhaną, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ḱ- — to join, to attach; agreement, settlement.
Ancestry of “fan”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | fāhan | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | fanhaną | to take, to seize; to capture, to catch |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂ḱ- | to join, to attach; agreement, settlement |